MacKay says anti-cyberbullying bill won’t erode Internet privacy

Peter MacKay, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada speaks as Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, back right, Lianna McDonald, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, join him in making an announcement on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013, as part of Bullying Awareness Week. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The federal justice minister denies the government’s new anti-cyberbullying bill will do an end-run around legitimate Internet privacy protections.

MacKay stresses that permission of a judge will be needed to exercise the new police powers in the legislation.

The bill makes it illegal to distribute “intimate images” without consent and easier to get such pictures removed from the Internet.

But the legislation also updates production orders and warrants to mesh with today’s advanced telecommunications world.

It would also give police new tools to track and trace telecommunications to determine their origin or destination.

However, the government insists none of the updates of investigative powers would allow access to data or subscriber information without prior judicial approval.